Appabatus fob dbawrwg- sheet-glass



T. S. OWENS.

APPARATUS FOR DRAWING SHEET GLASS. 1

APPUCATION FILED JAN.14, I919.

1,386,724. Patented Aug. 9,1921.

FF -IL- F19 INYENTUR UNITED STAThS THOMAS S, GVTENS, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

APPARATUS FOR DRAVETING SHEET-GLASS.

Application filed January 14, 1919.

l '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THoMAs S. @wn-Ns, a citizen of the United Eltates, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Drawing Sheet- Glass; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of sheet glass and particularly to means for continuously drawing glass in sheet form from a source of molten glass supply.

The object of my invention is the provision of improved means, of the character described, which is simple and efficient in its construction and operation and adapted to have effective drawing engagement with the sheet being drawn, and at the same time to have minimum contact therewith, thereby avoiding the surface marring or in jury of the sheet occasioned by drawing the same over or between rolls or other means having a more or less continuous contact with the sheet, as now commonly practised, and maintaining the sheet with its original surface glazed.

A further object of my invention is the provision of means of the class described, which, in addition to acting as a drawing means for the sheet, also serves as a means for transversely scoring or weakening the sheet at spaced points longitudinally there of, whereby the sheet may be subsequently and successively broken into sections along such weakened lines. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following detailed description thereof.

While the invention, in its broader aspect, is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an apparatus embodying the invention, in engagement with the sheet being drawn, and with the supporting frame work removed, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a sheet of glass being drawn from any suitable Specification of Letters Patent.

li-atented Aug. 9, 1921.

Serial No. 271,082.

source of molten glass supply, as for instance, a tank, trough or other suitable means 2, 15 well understood in the art.

The drawing means, embodying the invention, comprises two cooperating units A and B, disposed in opposed relation and in posltion for the sheet 1 being drawn to pass upward therebetween. Each of these units comprises, in the present instance, a pair of vertically spaced parallel shafts 3, a, each carrying a pair of spaced sprocket wheels 5 and 6, withthe spacing thereof greater than the width of the sheet to be drawn and with the respective wheels on the two shafts vertically alined and connected by endless sprocket chains 7, 7. These chains pass around the sprocket wheels and are driven by one of said shafts, the upper one, in the present case, which may be termed the drive shaft. The shafts 3 and l may be mounted at their ends in any suitable frame or bearing means (not shown). The chains 7, 7 are connected at equidistantly spaced intervals longitudinally therearound with cross-bars S, disposed in t ansverse relation to the sheet 1, and each provided with an outer sheet engaging edge, which is intended to cooperate with a registering bar of the other unit to grip therebctween a sheet being drawn. It is preferable to make the sheet gripping edges of the bars narrow to effect a small area of contact of the bars with the sh et and a consequent minimum disfigurement or marring of the glazed surface of the sheet.

t is evident that the gripping and drawing of the sheet by opposed bars 8 of the two drawing units, causes a surface scoring or grooving of the sheet along the lines of gripping of the same by the bars and a consequent weakening of the sheets along such lines, so that when the sheet has become suf-- ficiently chilled to be brittle, it can be easily broken into separate sections along said lines by applying lateral pressure thereto. Such lateral breaking pressure is illustrated, in the present instance, as being effected by a roll 9, which is disposed above the drawing aprons formed by the chains 6 and cross-bars 8 in position for its periphery to engage and effect a lateral deflecting or bending of the upper end of the sheet as it passes upward by the same. The sheet sections 10, as they are successively broken off from the sheet, may fall onto and be conveyed away by a conveyer 11.

The spacing of the bars 8 on the chains 7 is such as to provide sections 10 of the desired length, and the spacing of the shafts 3, at of each unit and the consequent working lengths of the aprons is such that at least one pair of gripping bars will be continually in engagement with the sheet and it is preferable to have at least two pairs of said bars in engagement with the sheet at the same time.

The drive shafts 3, 3 of the two drawing units may be connected by a set of gears 12 to have uniform chain driving move ments, and one of said shafts may be connected to a suitable source of power through a set of gears adapted to effect a forward or reverse driving of the connected drive shaft. The gearing, illustrated for this purpose comprises a pair of gears 13 and 1 1 on one of the shafts 3, a. reverse pinion 15 in engagement with the gear 14, and a drive pinion 16 shiftable into engagement with either the gear 13 or pinion 15, depending on the direction at which it is desired to drive the shaft 3.

The purpose of providing reversing means for the drawing aprons is to enable a bait to be fed down between the aprons into contact at its lower edge with the molten glass preparatory to drawing a sheet therefrom, after which the direction of driving of the aprons is reversed to effect an upward drawing of the bait and attached sheet.

In the drawing of sheet glass the tendency of the sheet before becoming hard is to warp and for this reason it has been customary to pass the sheet over or between straightening or truing rolls, the contact of which with the soft surface of the sheet causes amarring thereof. An important feature of my invention is the provision of a drawing means which has contact with the soft pliable portion of the sheet at spaced points or at the edges of the sections into which the sheet is subsequently broken and which at the same time has its contacting or gripping points extending entirely across the sheet to prevent warping thereof, and such contact is maintained until thesheet has suficiently cooled to retain its shape.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications without cleparting from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a continuous sheet glass drawing apparatns two sheet drawing units disposed in opposed relation at opposite sides of a sheet being drawn, each of said units comprising shafts transversely spaced longitudinally of the sheet sprocket wheels carried by each shaft, a pair of sprocket chains connecting said wheels and spaced longitudinally of the shafts, and sheet engaging bars connecting said chains and spaced longitudinally thereof to provide a considerable space between the points of engagement of a sheet by the bars, the bars of one unit cooperating with those of the other unit to grip and impart drawing movements to the engaged sheet, the bars of the separate units also cooperating to score and weaken the engaged sheet at the points of gripping of the same.

2. In a continuous sheet glass drawing apparatus, a pair of opposed sheet drawing aprons having cooperating members which grip and score an interposed sheet at predetermined spaced intervals longitudinally thereof and which travel for a distance in drawing engagement with the sheet, and means for laterally deflecting the drawn sheet at a point beyond said drawing aprons to effect a breaking of successive sections from the sheet along the scored lines thereof.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

THOMAS S. OWENS. 

